There are some fundamental differences between USB copy protection and USB encryption to files on a USB Flash Drive:

USB copy protection secures a file or set of files so they cannot be copied – thus copy protection.

USB encryption scrambles the source files so they cannot be read unless you decrypt them.

There is a big difference between the two.

USB Encryption is the process of scrambling files and data so they cannot be accessed unless a password or key is supplied to reassemble the content and put everything back together. This process is known as decryption.

The fundamental use for USB encryption is to protect files and data in the event the USB stick is lost or stolen.

Where encryption and USB copy protection differ is with “encryption” once you have the password you can copy the data at will. With USB copy protection the files and data are locked to the device and cannot be copied off, regardless of the users desire.

USB copy protection is similar to encryption with the use of scrambling data and unscrambling data; however, USB copy protection has the added value of not allowing copies to be made. Copy protection wraps the data into a specialized algorithm to scramble the data, then uses a customized viewer to decrypt the data and be viewed. The viewer also requires specific hardware components to run, this requirement blocks the ability of the file to be copied and played later.

As one can see, USB copy protection is used by those who need to protect their intellectual property regardless of the user, whereas USB encryption is used for those who need to protect their data if lost or stolen.

As a side note – a USB stick with encryption can be formatted, thus removing all of the sensitive data yet USB copy protection locks the content to the stick in a Read Only partition so deleting or formatting are of no avail.

If you need USB Encryption try TrueCrypt. This is a free, open-source disk encryption software for Windows Vista/XP, Mac OS X, and Linux, suitable for for those needing a high level encryption tool.

TrueCrypt Main Features:

Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk.

Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.

Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).

Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.

Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive was not encrypted.

Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password: Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.

If you need USB copy protection and have content which should not be copied, regardless of the user, then visit Nexcopy for their USB secure flash drive solutions. They also use 128-bit AES encryption tools. www.nexcopy.com